Goin' out with a blog post

After nearly four years at Curious George -- including two and a half years working on Notes from the Hut! -- today is my last day here. While I'm very excited about my new adventure, today's a little bittersweet since I'm leaving our wonderful store and my incredible coworkers. (You may have noticed the distinct lack of Rachel lately; she's off on her own new adventure in Philly. We miss her and wish her the best of luck!)

But what better way for me to say goodbye than with a few goodbye picture books we love?

Laurel Croza's I Know Here features a little girl in Saskatchewan who is facing a move to Toronto. "I don't know Toronto. I know here," she says. She knows the road with her trailer, the howl of the wolves in the forest, the man who delivers their groceries. A little inspiration from her teacher and classmates help her to keep her best-loved memories of this place safe as she moves.

In Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, a boy moving west from New York shares his anxieties about all the scary things waiting for him: chili for breakfast, kids named "Slim" and "Tex" (and nobody like his best friend, Seymour), desert full of buzzards and cacti, and gila monsters. Leaving the airport he meets a boy moving to NYC who is similarly nervous. Once the boy finds familiar elements in his new surroundings, he can't wait to tell Seymour all about life in the not-so-wild west.

In Bernard Waber's Ira Says Goodbye, Ira is the leavee, not the leaver, but he finds saying goodbye difficult all the same. His best friend Reggie seems so excited about his upcoming move -- and so willing to leave Ira behind -- that Ira feels terribly betrayed. Just as Ira decides he "can't wait for some new kid who will be [his] best friend" to replace Reggie, Reggie's true feelings about their separation come out. The boys prove to each other that no matter how far away they are, they'll always be close friends.

While I'm really going to miss the store (and the blog!) I'll definitely be in to visit.

I know here. :)